Unsung illuminates the idea that some of the most delicious, enjoyable and memorable things to cook and eat are the foods most neglected in the modern kitchen: pea shoots, garnishing a tart of spring onion and bacon; fennel fronds, pounded into a piquant salsa verde; cardoons, braised and tossed with pasta and pecorino; kohlrabi, simmered with apple and pear and pureed into the most phenomenal soup. These overlooked foods are some of the most delicious and most affordable items at your farmers' markets and grocery stores.

In this series we will tackle two unsung veggies per class. Here is the schedule:Monday June 4:cardoons and daikon (maybe nettles . . .you'll have to sign up to find out!)

Monday June 18:fennel (fronds and flowers) and purslane

Monday June 25:tomatillos and watermelon rind (alright, not a veggies, but really unsung)

The classes are intended to be taken as a series, but we do have limited single class tickets available.

Note -- the recipes are vegetable driven but not vegetarian. Please let us know of any dietary requests.

More about the classesMichelle McKenzie uses her passionate voice and professional culinary skills to convince you to celebrate all the seasons have to offer. These unsung ingredients are unlikely to make it onto your weekly shopping list, so Michelle shows you how to peruse without one. Cooking doesn't have to be about detailed, precise recipes or the pursuit of perfection. Cooking can be about surrendering to what the moment has to offer, even if what's on offer is unfamiliar, looks strange, or bears an absurd, unpronounceable name. In this manner, your food can become your own, not a borrowed formula to be scientifically and slavishly executed. When you begin to approach the market with more curiosity than expectation, a sense of anticipation and exploration takes hold. It's freeing. It's fun!

About MichelleMichelle McKenzie graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in nutrition and a minor in chemistry, giving her a deep understanding of food properties and their complex implications within the human body. She then went on to apply her knowledge of nutrition in a culinary setting at The Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts, becoming immersed in health-supportive cuisine prepared from whole, organic and seasonal foods. Since then, Michelle has worked at some of the best restaurants in the country and has personally cooked for clients such as Ted Turner and Jane Fonda.

Michelle currently resides in San Francisco, CA where she is a private chef, culinary instructor, and coordinator of Nextcourse's Mission High program, where food and cooking are vehicles for reaching goals that lie beyond the plate. You nd also nd Michelle on her blog, Flavor in Spades.